Control for aircraft



July 3, 1928.

A. L. FISHER CONTROL FOR AIRCRAFT Filed Aug- 31, 1925 Patented July 3, 1928.

UNITED STATES Arman anno means, or YALE, Iowa.

con'rnon FOB AIRCRAFT.

Application filed August a1, 1925. Serial No. 53,617.

The object of my invention is to provide a very simple, single control for air crafts wherein a minimum' of operable parts are necessary for controlling the ailerons and the elevators of the air craft, where a gravity control is used.

It may be here mentioned that in connection with controls for air crafts or ships many cables are employed, owing to the nature and construction of air Crafts, and it is my-object to reduce the number of cables to a m? minimum, when using a control stick wit a stabilizer forming a part thereof.

Still a .further object is to provide a con- 5 trol stick mountedupon and supported by a ball and socket joint, and having a weight at its lower end to -which control stick are fastened the operating rods for the ailerons .and elevators whereby the control stick will act as a single unit 1n connection with the operation of the ailerons and the elevators, and will tend to right the position of the air ship even though not actually controlled by the operator, due to the weighted end of 6 the control stick and socket connection thereof. I Y

Still a further object is to provide a mounting for air ship control sticks, wherein the control stickwill tend to always remain in a normal flying position, and when parts of the air ship are moved to any position outside the ordinary normal position, then there will be a tendency on the part of the control stick to regain or resume its normal flying position and will operate the controls of the air ship so that the air ship assumes a normal flying position. Still a further object is to prov de a mounting for the control stick wherein the 40 control stick is freeto move and is very sensitive so that the air ship controls may be easily operated, either manually or automatically by force of gravity of centrifugal action.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, ar-

rangement and combination of the various parts of my device, whereby the ob ects con- 21 is a weight 23 of some slze, having templated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claim, and.

illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figure'l is a sectional v1ew through a portion of the fuselage of an air plane, showing the cock pit, pilots seat and my contr ol mechanism. 7 I

Figure 2 isa diagrammatic view showing my control and its hook up with the ailerons and elevators or controls.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33 of Figure 1, parts being broken away to better illustrate the construction.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 44 of-Figure 1, showing the connection of the aileron and elevator controls with thecontrol stick; and

Figure 5 is a detail view of the ball and socket joint of the control stick. I

In the accompanying drawings, I have socket 16 therein, a bearing cap 17, having a similar socket 16", is mounted upon the bearin 15, and may be connected thereto by he ts 18. The two sockets 16 and 16' form an opening substantially ball shaped and have their upper and lower portions formed with openings through whlch the control stick extends as hereinafter set forth.

Mounted within the socket formed by the sockets 16 and 16" is a ball shaped member 19 having a control stick 20 suitably secured thereto, and extending upwardly therefrom through the opening in the member 17, and a control stick 21 connected thereto and extending downwardly therefrom, and extending through an opening formed in the socket member 16.

The control sticks 20 and 21 are inalign- 1 ment with each other and are so arranged as though made of a single piece of material and extended through the ball shaped mem ber 19. The motion of the control stick is pgactically unlimited, the sockets 16 and 16- ing only of such size as to retain the ball shaped'enember 19 in its socket.

Secured to the lower end of the stick connections generally referred to by the ref- 4 and 27.

erence character A, I'am able to swing the control stick 'in any universal direction. The weight 23 tendsto hold the control stick in its normal flying position.

Fixed to the control stick 20 in any suitable manner is a collar 25 to which is pivotally connected a pair of control rods 26 The control rod 26 is adapted to control the ailerons 28 and the control rod 27 is for operating the elevators 39. The ailerons are connected together by suitable cables 29 and-'30.

The cables 29 and '30 have fixed to them an arm 31, which is mounted upon a shaft 32.

' The shaft 32 is journalled in bearings .33

mounted upon the fuselage of the air craft, and is of such lengthias to place the cables 29 and a sulficieiit distance forward of the control stiek sofas not to interfere with the feet of the operator. A short armor lever 34 is fixed to the free end of the shaft 32, and has its other end loosely or all connected to the control rod 26.

ovement of the controls 26 in the direction indicated by the arrow 35 will cause the ailerons on the opposite sides of ,the air craft to move simultaneously in opposite directions.

. The control rod 27 extends rearwardly from the control stick 20 and is fixed toa pivotshort armor lever*3'6,which has itsu per tweenthe arm 3i and t i 3 i The control stick 20,v when moved'in. the

hook up between the levers/11 all control rod 27 with end fixed to a transverse shaft 37. The s aft 35 37 is mounted in suitable bearings 38. 4

At the outer ends of the shaft 37 are levers 41 which are operatively'connected withthe elevators 39 by cables 40. W p

It may be here mentioned. that an type of theelevators 39-may' be employed depending upon the particular type of elevators orship. The

some is true with the tip'e elf hook up bee a' erons 28.

. The lower portions of the control mechanism mounted in the cock pit may be housed in a' casing so as' not to interfere with the operatorof the aircraft or ship.

' Practical operation a In operation, the control stick may be used in the ordinary manner. The pilot, having complete control of the control stick I at all times. I

would cease to exert an be reasonably included within tions reduce weight, friction, and the energy required to operate a gravity controlled ship. Any osition the ship may acquire that is not evel or not a perfect bank would cause the weight on the lower end of 'the control stick by force of gravity, or centrifugal force, to exert, its force on the control stick in the manner required to bring the ship to a level, or a normal position in banking for a turn. It would tend to keep the pilot from over-controlling s 1 le s an example of the above statements, if the ship were flying in a given direction and the pilot, desiring to turn to the left, (it is assumed that the ship is level) operates the rudder so as to, cause the ship to make a left turn, but does not operate the control stick to place the ship in a bank, the result would be skidding caused by centrifugal force. However, with the weight attached to the lower end of thev control stick,

centrifugal force'would cause this weight to swing in an outward manner, or to the right.

This would move the '1'; per part of the con trol stick to the left, t ereby operating the ailerons in the manner re uired to place the ship in a perfect bank. ship acquired a perfect bank, the weight force upon the control stick, exceptin 1n the manner it exerts when the ship is level. v 7 As another exam le,.-if the pilot so operated the control st ck, in making a turn, so as to place the .ship too near a vertical bank t the instant the in regard to speed and the length: of the turn, the result, would be side-slipping, caused by force of gravity, then, gravity acting upon the weight suspended on "the lower end of the control stick would cause the upperend of the control stick to move in an upward manner, thereby operating the ailerons in-the manner required ,to bring the ship to a perfect banking position.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the various 5 parts of my invention, without departing rom the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claim, an modified forms of structure or use of mec anical equivalents, which may Iclaim as my invention:

'. In combination with an air craft, a control means'therefor comprising a control stick universally pivoted, a we'i ht on the lower their scope.

angles to each other and spaced from said second yokes being pivoted to said members, control stick, an'arm on each rock shaft, a. and means for operatively connecting the pair of yokes each pivoted to one of said ailerons and elevators of'said air craft to 10 arms, a second pair of yokes, rods rotatably saidrock shafts.

5 mounted in said second yokes and secured Des Moines, Iowa, August 26, 1925.

to the first yokes, and a pair of members rotatably mounted on said control stick, said ALFRED LEROY FISHER. 

